Week 25.23 - Socials Roundup
Posts from 02 June - 08 June 2025
Week 25.23 posts include shots from Justified (2010-2015); The 39 Steps (1935); “Like I Used To” music video (2021); A Haunting In Venice (2023); and The Kitchen (2023).
The Kitchen
The sudden, stark contrast between the wide, loud, colourful, motorbike-filled shot and the closeup, quiet, more muted shot of Izi (Kane Robinson) waking up puts us in Izi's 'sleep-disoriented' headspace.
As Izi gets his bearings, a shot shows Izi's POV before showing him in context of the apartment via a mirror.
While in the mirror shot, the motion of Jase crossing the room motivates the camera to follow, moving from the mirror into a wider shot of the apartment. The next few shots settle into more 'standard' coverage as Izi finishes waking up.
The 39 Steps
Twice Richard Hannay (Robert Donat) goes to his window to see if he’s being watched.
Each time he is in a medium shot, well-lit, his face clearly seen, on one side of frame, while the figures he sees watching his house are in a wide shot, shadowy, faces dark, and standing in his eyeline but to the far side of frame from him.
All the shots are different, and in a different location, but the pairing of ‘look, POV’ and the similarities of all the elements mean we draw the connection and get the feeling of repetition and Richard’s growing paranoia.
Each are also interesting on their own, with strong contrast, lines going every-which-way, shadows, and motivated light sources like an apartment hallway, lamppost, and phone booth.
Simple concept, executed well.
For a less ‘starkly opposing sides’ version of ‘person looks out two different windows, sees two similar things’, check out these shots from Woman on the Run.
Justified
This split diopter shot from episode 1.02 “Riverbrook” is short but impactful.
Keeping both the deputy and the prisoners in focus — with his eyes up close to us even as the prisoners are far away — really give us the prisoners’ feeling of always being watched and observed.
A Haunting in Venice
A quick series of eerie shots leads to Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh, starring and directing) sitting up bolt upright in bed, before crossfading into the title card.
Not only does Branagh match the rippling blue water to his eyes, but he lines up the line of tan buildings to match to Poirot’s furrowed brow.
Like I Used To
This music video (dir. Kimberly Stuckwisch) uses several techniques to show singers Sharon Van Etten and Angel Olsen ‘together yet distinctly apart.’ As the video goes on, the images become less and less clear about the two being in separate places.
Images move from splitscreen with different sized framing and polar opposite colours, to splitscreen with similar size framing and colour, to a clear mirror shot, to a mirror shot which gives the impression it could be a window, to the iconic ‘Bergman 90° faces’ which put them so close they’re almost merged while still looking totally different directions.
